10 entrepreneurial ideas for students during college

Think entrepreneurship and do not live your life as a corporate slave. If you are a career oriented person, you’ve got to come to terms with the fact that summer internships will not necessarily get you a job. That is when you realize that you need to go a step further to achieve your entrepreneurial goals and do justice to your business savvy mind. For students who wish to empower themselves with more promising returns, minimalistic resistance to entry, self-employment and something that will raise the standards of their resume or higher education application, here are 10 low-cost start-ups that college students can take up.

1. Expand upon a hobby such as photography

Pursuing something you enjoy will definitely take you to great heights. This is because when you are really passionate about something you tend to give it your all and you seem to be naturally well-versed with it-commonly known as innate or in-born talent. If you feel you are good at photography you can create your own portfolio and even make it available online. Marketing yourself is the first step to getting acknowledgement for your talent. Freelance product photographers are hired to take quality pictures and market the company’s product

Similarly you could record your own YouTube videos and make them viral if you are a God-gifted singer or seem to excel at it. Who knows you might be recording at a studio a few years down the road. Give it a thought!

2. Tutoring and mentoring

If your concepts are crystal clear and you feel that you have a command over a certain subject then you should definitely consider taking up tutoring. This can be rewarding and generate a decent income every month. Students struggling to achieve their potential can be properly career-counseled and guided by you.

3. Freelancing as writer or blogger

As one strives to make ends meet, the most effective way of easy home-based income these days is freelancing. Embrace money saving apps and at the same time network on the online world to develop your credibility. The burgeoning freelance market knows no limits and is ready to absorb people with talent. The basic formula is to play around with words and develop the attention of the reader. Online content is the new buzz, so if you feel you’ve got the natural then do not let it go to waste, instead capitalize on it. Be it stories, reports or product and service descriptions. Your initial investment would just be a laptop and an internet connection.

4. Sell Your Essays and Revision Notes Through Online Communities

If you can tutor and mentor well, but do not intend to teach in particular, you can use your abilities to make effective summaries of complicated topics which other students will greatly value. What you need to do is market yourself on an appropriate platform and convinces others of the superior quality of your work in order for them to trust you. Keep your rates nominal and once you gain fame you can increase your demands. Some students actually have extra cash for these services and you might be one of the most sought for students on campus.

5. T-shirt printing

A great viable venture to let out your creativity and designing style is to start up your own shirt company while in college. Company, sounds intimidating? You could start-up through screen printing at home and if your efforts are appreciated you can go on to developing a business model for your idea. You can bring your brand into limelight and create awareness by setting up stalls in different markets and college festivals.

6. Website design and App creation

The dire need of an effective online presence is the new buzz these days. Every company intends to leverage the power of social media to obtain an added advantage. If you have a knack for computers and have superior IT knowledge you can learn to create websites using WordPress. Web development and design are also related fields whose basics can at least be learnt via YouTube tutorials. At a very young age you can start earning. Customize your services by making variable packages as per the client.

7. Auto-detailing

Many people would love to see their cars sparkle but might not have the time, energy or will to actually take the pains of going about cleaning their car regularly. For this very purpose you can make mould your passion for cars and keeping them meticulous to generate a side business. As you enjoy doing your job, the owner of the car would be more than happy to pay for it.

8. Cleaning Service or Window Washing Business

Who doesn’t want their belongings to look presentable and matchless? If you do not feel it is demeaning to wash windows or clean other people’s fixed assets you can earn a pretty decent income from it. Doing a comprehensive market research and finding a demographic are the basic skills and expertise that you need to develop. A campus based cleaning-service can easily cater to your financial needs during college days.

You can start with your family members, relatives and friends and then expand your services outside your social circle once you are comfortable with it. In your summer break you can go one step ahead and expand your services under the same business name.

9. Buying and Selling

Since the advent and the continuous evolutions in technology, the world has become a global village. More and more products and services are available online, facilitating and creating consumers of all sorts. You can easily post ads for furniture items, scrap but useful items, bicycles, used phones, spare parts of even books for that matter which you feel will fetch a good price. Not everybody can afford new items and most people wouldn’t mind buying things they have always wanted if they are in decent condition and available at a fairly reasonable price.

10. Make hand-crafted goods and sell them.

Yet again if you feel you are naturally talented to make up artistic masterpieces, be it wall paintings, fancy pencil holders or clear bags for documents, pouches and portable bags to decoration items for your house, go ahead and experiment with your skills to reap the fruits of your hard work.

Being an entrepreneur sets you on the road to becoming independent and resilient. You learn to be self-reliant and worthy enough to shoulder your own expenses and reducing student debt in the process too. Even if you do not continue your business after graduation it will certainly improve your chances of earning after graduation since you will have developed enough confidence and soft skills to pursue your career goals. Incredibly high profile successes like Mark Zuckerberg could be a possible source of inspiration.

SmartStudent is an educational portal that provides information & advice to aspiring students. regarding applying to university, choosing a course, what to take to university, finding student accommodation and much more.

About SmartStudent

SmartStudent is an educational portal that provides information & advice to aspiring students. regarding applying to university, choosing a course, what to take to university, finding student accommodation and much more.